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ORO Names New Assistant Manager for Environmental Management

September 17, 2009 - 12:00pm

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OAK RIDGE, Tenn. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge Office has named John R. Eschenberg as its Assistant Manager for Environmental Management (EM).

As the Assistant Manager, Eschenberg is responsible for the oversight and direction of contractor and federal activities associated with environmental cleanup activities at sites on the Oak Ridge Reservation. This includes the ongoing cleanup projects at the East Tennessee Technology Park, as well as the complex and far-reaching American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded projects, and the Integrated Facilities Disposition Plan.

"I am extremely pleased that John is joining our management team here at the Oak Ridge Office,” said ORO Manager Gerald Boyd. “He is a proven professional who brings a wealth of knowledge from the public and private sectors, and I’m a fully confident that he will capably lead the Oak Ridge EM program during this exciting and challenging time."

Eschenberg replaces Stephen McCracken, who has served as the Assistant Manager for EM since 2003. McCracken will remain on staff until his retirement early next year to facilitate a smooth transition, and to transfer his wealth of historical and background knowledge on critical Oak Ridge projects.

“I appreciate Steve’s willingness to stay on board to work with John during this change,” Boyd said. “It is further evidence of his dedication to what we are doing here in Oak Ridge and within the Department of Energy, and I am certain it will help John as he prepares to lead our EM organization.”

Eschenberg has more than 20 years of industrial experience in a variety of defense, commercial, and DOE positions. Before coming to Oak Ridge, he was the Assistant Manager for the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) Project for DOE’s Office of River Protection at DOE’s Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. In that role, he was responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the WTP, a complex chemical waste treatment facility. Prior to going to Hanford in 2003, he was the project field representative for the Pit Dismantlement and Conversion Facility in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Eschenberg was previously responsible for the operations of key nuclear facilities at DOE sites in New Mexico and South Carolina. Prior to that, he worked with the Halliburton-Nuclear Utility Services Corporation, Brown & Root Environmental Corporation, and the Department of the Navy.